Marco Rubio, far from home, still backs Carlos Alvarez recall

The senator-elect met with Norman Braman last week on his trip to Israel, and confirmed Tuesday, not surprisingly, that he backs Braman's effort to recall Miami-Dade's chief executive.

Braman is in the middle of a ferocious campaign to recall Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez, who endorsed Rubio's ex-rival Charlie Crist in the Senate race. Rubio's name was even bandied about in 2008 as a potential Alvarez challenger. Braman paid for a poll that showed Rubio and Alvarez in a tie.

Rubio said Tuesday that he's signed Braman's recall effort: "I have deep concerns about the direction of our local government..." he said. "You look at what they did with property taxes, it's just completely out of line with the reality of the economic circumstances that residents in Miami-Dade are facing."